Friday, October 24, 2014

The Arizona Series; Creeping Liberalism, Part II

                                                               

Arizona these days is the "poster boy" for conservative government trying to stem the tide of creeping liberalism.  Why should that be important for our readers who live elsewhere?  Because what we do here will probably ultimately decide what kind of country we want to be.  This, the first in a series about the "grand battle" to combat oppressive liberalism and reckless spending and why it has consequences for all of the rest of America.

The Budget Wars; Education

As in California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas the education system in Arizona has broken down by the massive illegal Mexican invasion.  Let's look at some hard numbers and see if there's a single liberal among you who might begin to understand still another way that illegal immigration is hurting our social safety net and destroying any chance our American kids have of getting an education.

Liberals, and the NEA and Teachers Unions, and sadly, now the liberal courts,  just love to denigrate the southwestern states for not providing enough funding to educate our kids.  They absolutely love to trot out that 50 state map to show that Connecticutt and Maine, and Massechusetts and New Hampshire and Washington D.C. all kick in more "per student" money than the states in the Southwest, all under siege by court mandates that say we have to educate illegal kids.  

And those numbers look horrible on the face of it.  But, when you look and think deeper you see that those states in the Northeast, and in D.C., have a tremendous advantage....they aren't overrun with illegal Mexicans.  

For example, those Northeastern states spend an average of $14,000 dollars per K-12 pupil while Arizona spends only $8,000 per pupil.  Looks bad, right?  Puts Arizona in the bottom ten for per student funding.  But a funny thing happens when you begin looking at what each state spends in total funding.  All of a sudden those Northeastern states fall to the bottom of the pack and Arizona and the Southwestern states begin rising to the top!  Why?  Because, God Damn It, we're burdened with having to educate millions of illegal kids...and those liberal Northeastern states are not!  And there's no one around to pay for those Mexican kids out here in the Southwest!

So let's look at how Education is shaking out in Arizona.  Arizona is a relatively poor state, and our budget reflects that.  We've got to pay to run all state operations on roughly $10 billion dollars in all forms of revenue; state taxes, fees, property taxes, etc.  By far, our largest budget expense is K-12 education; it eats up a third of all the revenue.  We must also pay for Medicaid, Welfare, WIC, and all of the other social service programs that our masters in D.C. and in the liberal courts say we must.
And we must pay for our universities which are above and beyond the K-12 budget.  And we must maintain our state parks, pay for Fire and Rescue and Police, building maintenance and all the other expenses associated with running the state.  And we also have to pay for the English learner program which is another mandate above and beyond all of the other federal and judicial mandates.

Note:  Keep in mind that total K-12 expenditures are $15.7 billion dollars, the rest of the money coming from local property taxes and sales taxes and fees and so forth.

Now, Arizona is a Republican state, and our legislature has been under Republican control for decades.  But once in a while we do elect a Democratic Governor.  (Guess we don't always like a smooth road and want to shake things up a little).  Well, the last Democratic Governor was Janet Napolitano.  Once she got into office she started pushing for state funded day care, all day kindergarten, and a host of other nice to have programs.  She generated just enough liberal pressure so that many of these programs got funded.

So, in 2009, at the same time Napolitano got in bed with Obama and became his Homeland Security Chief, the Arizona economy went to hell with the rest of America.  Secretary of State Jan Brewer assumed the office of Governor for the remainder of Napolitano's term and beyond.  It was at this time that we had to make massive state cuts in the budget due to a drastic plunge in state revenues.  So Arizona sold all of their state owned buildings and leased them back, closed state parks, closed highway rest areas, cut the funding for all day kindergarten and state funded pre-school, and the state was on a "baloney and water" budget for three years.  

Through all of this chaos Arizona did NOT cut K-12 school funding.  But they did trim the "inflation adjusted increases" that were programmed in.  

So here we are in 2014 and Arizona is now facing still another economic slowdown.  Arizona was hoping state revenue would return to the traditional 4% of growth  and we are barely seeing 2%.  So when the next governor takes office next January he will be facing another $500 million dollar deficit and there are no more buildings to sell.  

So a month or so ago the ultra liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals out of San Francisco ruled that the state had no right to trim those "inflation adjusted increases to K-12 (though god knows where we would have gotten the money to pay them!).  Worse, the court says we must immediately infuse the K-12 budget with $350 million dollars...this year!  That puts our new Governor in the position of coming up with nearly a billion dollars to pay for our illegal Mexican kids all the while finding another $500 million dollars in budget cuts!  And, if we are to comply with the court mandates on education funding we are supposed to come up with another billion dollars over the next decade to pay for K-12 funding growth as we educate an ever growing percentage of illegal Mexicans.

The only way Arizona can do this is to go the way of California and begin living off of borrowed money...seeing our state credit rating plunge as we float more and more bonds to pay for the illegal invasion.

And we're not getting any relief from the Feds.  Hell, every year we've been sending the feds a bill for the costs to incarcerate all of these illegal Mexicans and the Feds won't pay it...even though they claim ownership of the border and immigration!  

The only thing we can expect from the feds, and the liberal courts, are more slaps to the face and more demands to educate, medicate and incarcerate millions of illegal Mexicans.

If you don't live in a Southwestern state, enjoy it while you can!  As soon as Obama gives amnesty to the rest of the 30 million illegals already here they'll be free to move around wherever they wish...and we'll be anxious to see how YOU deal with the problems they bring!


13 comments:

Jerry Carlin said...

Yes, this is a great beginning to a discussion! This is a Huge Country and many of us away from these South-Western States really have No Idea of what is going on away from our neighborhoods. Arizona is right in there with Mississippi in receiving More Money from the Federal Government than they pay in and this blog today is explaining why this is so. My position is that it makes no difference where the money comes from, State or Local or Federal. It is all borrowed money that we do not have. It is always nice to imagine the Ideal State where everyone is fed and cared for and educated but as Reality sets in we have to find a way to Pay for this "liberal agenda".
So what happens as these issues spread from these affected States? What can we learn from Arizona?
The first Law I would like to see enforced would be one to prevent hiring of illegals: a $25,000 Fine and five years in prison for hiring them? Even for mowing your lawn! Yes, I would do that. I do not believe we have this problem because we are kind sappy people with tender hearts. Someone is Profiting.

Craig said...

Our schools need to be taught in english, if children are not able to communicate at the requisite level,put them in an immersion program to bring them up to the level needed to not unnecessarily slow the other kids.Ship the illegals to the north east, bunch pompous nimbys.

A Modest Scribler said...

Jerry, your comment on Arizona being a large recipient of federal money is one of the classic ways that statistics can be skewed to mean something totally different. If you were implying that we are getting any additional help for schooling illegals, or welfare, or such...you're dead wrong. Here's how the Wall Street Journal shows what federal aid we are getting:

"The great state of Arizona has several caveats that play into its number 10 ranking. For one, the state is situated right on the Mexican border and has become a hotbed of illegal immigration and drug activity. Thus, the state receives a lot of funding for border control and drug enforcement causes from the federal government. Arizona is also home to some of the biggest Indian reservations in the country, which receive money from the government but remain sovereign and autonomous in their own right.

One final detail is that the state is also home to lots of federally controlled land — including national parks that house the Grand Canyon — which are unable to be developed for commercial use. There is an opportunity cost to preserving those lands, which also plays a part in the grand scheme of things."

So anyone who lives here knows that Arizona is paying for their own..

As to who profits the most from illegals, it is our corporate masters and Democratic politicians.

One sad irony: For Napolotano's entire term as governor, each year she sent the feds the bill for the states expense for incarcerating illegals. They never paid, nor did she when she went to Homeland security. Since 2004 Arizona has racked up over a billion dollars in illegal incarceration expenses and have never been paid back by the feds, who insist immigration authority belongs to them.

Jerry, I just touched the surface of the illegal immigration plague and what it is doing to us; you'll get a better feel for it when Obama grants amnesty and they feel free to invade Oregon.

A Modest Scribler said...

Tell it to the liberal courts, Craig..tell it to the courts.

Jerry Carlin said...

So far, we don't speak Spanish in Oregon. It has always been too wet for the expansion of California, maybe the rain will keep them out? Plus, there is not much work here! I Do Hope that Arizona will solve the problem for all of us but you are right. It is creeping. We have laws now prohibiting the hiring of illegals, it is just not much penalty and seldom enforced. I guess it just costs money to arrest people too. I do Like your Sheriff!

A Modest Scribler said...

Jerry, the current crop of illegals do not need work as a cause to move in. Arizona has learned that illegals are masters at living off of IRS child tax credits that awards them thousands each year, and many local and state and federal programs. They get poverty level lower utility bill support too. And when government largesse is not enough they are quite adept at Walmart and Target theft, stolen credit info theft, home invasion theft, drug revenue etc. And when they have dropped just one anchor baby that is there ticket to the gravy train of Section 8 housing (here in Phoenix illegals form the majority of Section 8 housing projects), welfare, WIC. Oh! And our food banks shelves are nearly always bare because illegals have learned to game that system too.

So don't presume a lack of jobs will keep them away.

TheRandyGuy said...

The key to everything you mentioned is statistics - they are manipulated. You hit a home run when you pointed out the use of "per capita" numbers when discussing funding for "x" programs. CA does the same thing, trotting out "per capita" $ to ostensibly prove the state isn't funding "x" like it should be in comparison to other states, when, in absolute $, CA is at or near the top of all states. CA currently has almost half a trillion (yes, half a TRILLION) dollars in unfunded obligations. Half of our budget, by law, must be spent on education - it isn't, of course, since the pols do whatever they want with the $ by merely promising to "pay it back". Our country has passed the tipping point (IMHO) - the debt is so large it will never be paid. That means some groups are not going to get the full basket of goodies they were "promised". Then what? Amnesty will be the final nail in what little is left of our liberty - we did this in 1986 and Reagan and Congress promised "Never again". What the hell, right? There are lib votes to be had - the bills will be somebody else's problem....

Jerry Carlin said...

I really wish the Government would quit giving $ away to illegals and citizens alike! I just can't get this out of my head! I am wondering about the photo of the pretty girl? Is she offering Prostate Massages? I am thinking that if WE did that, or even if SHE did that in Mexico, we would simply disappear! I am NOT in favor of that solution but she should show some gratitude that it doesn't happen here!

A Modest Scribler said...

Exactly my point, Randy. Arizona shells out nearly $16 billion for education because we have to educate hundreds of thousands of illegal kids, while Vermont shells out $5 billion and is on the top of the roost on the 'per capita' chart. It's just one of the many, many tools liberal use to mask the real truths.

As to future entitlements, history has show you wipe out that massive, unrepeatable debt one of two ways; cut benefits or print your way out of it. We'll print our way out of it and destroy the livelihoods of millions of folks who saved for retirement and now can't survive. Think Weimar Republic here.

A Modest Scribler said...

Jerry, re, the pic, the arrogance of the illegal is simply astounding. Can you even imagine 50,000 illegal wetbacks marching in protest on our streets 40 years ago? They would have been herded up and put on one way trains to Mexico.

That's why I pray with all my heart that Obama gets gunned down or gets a real quick form of cancer that does him in. I hate what he's doing to this country with his immigration policies.

Jerry Carlin said...

Why are the Republicans being so quiet about this? After seeing the protest sign in today's blog (the Prostate Lady!) I "Googled" for other signs and can't even believe they are serious? None of this happens in My town or over much of USA. How are we supposed to know of such arrogance from these illegals? I know the Republicans argue the theoretical of it all but without the signs we don't see the arrogance.
Half of Politics is in education. Without the "libtard" kind of language the Republicans would get more followers. No one likes arrogant assholes, especially ungrateful ones. IF you are easy on the language this would make a great article for publication!!! We need it.

A Modest Scribler said...

Jerry, other than the Tea Party type pols, Republicans aren't talking much about it because it cost them the Presidential election in 2012 as 85% of Hispanics went for Obama...caused he promised them amnesty.

But there is much discussion of the most recent breach...but most Americans don't care until the illegal cancer comes to their home town.

Unknown said...

My personal hypocrisy is exposed here. When living back in the northeast I was at best indifferent to this invasion. Fast forward to now and I have some pretty strong ideas and opinions on the border. In my defense, the extent of the problem wasn't known to me. I'd been baptized in the liberal dogmas founded in a misguided sense of compassion. I now know that not all or even most are coming for a better life but to game a system or even worse.